[Tasha]

Over the last month or so i have been on here continuously regarding dry skin, and bloody/green poo. All the advice, help & suggestions have been wonderful & i thank everyone so much. However im still worrying and can't figure out if im being paranoid or if something is still wrong.

Tummy: Had 3 antibiotics which stopped bloody poo but he's still getting a small green poo at the end of the night. Eating & drinking fine and the poo examination came back clear. But in the last month or so he has gone from a continuous (4 months) at 285g to nearly 400g (weighed same time every night). Hes roughly 10months-1yr old. No changes to food. Very active runner, wheels all night.

Dry Skin: Started 6months ago with one dry ear. Over time both ears, then scratching started then quill & fur loss and large numerous flakes. No bald patches or scabs though. Treated for mites, tested for any worms & fungus and all negative. Going try Aveeno baths instead of plain oatmeal as has been suggest.

Could the 2 be connected? I know it could be diet (as also suggested) but living in uk im struggling to find something i can swap his current food for (RC light, Purine natural & Joe & Jills all natural). Any suggestions?

Sorry to repeat myself & for such a long thread, but i desperately need advice or for someone to tell me im a crazy, over protective mummy! Thank you everyone for putting up with continuous questions.

 

[knitfreak]

If he was having tummy issues before he may have been underweight and is now normalizing. Does he have yellow skin on his underbelly? Can he roll into a complete ball? When he is standing are there folds of skin on his legs from fat? Most importantly, which of these is closest to his body shape when viewed from above: ( ) or | | or ) (

Apparently hedgies can weigh anywhere from 240 - 1000 grams, so there is a lot of variety in there!

For the dry skin, not quite sure on that one. If could be a food allergy, or just dry skin. My guy had REALLY dry skin, big flakes of it and holding him was like a snowstorm! It's all better now after using some oil from the vet on his food (took several weeks for that to make it better).

I don't think you're paranoid, we all worry about our "babies" I am still fairly new but thought I would share my experiences anyways, hehe. Surely Nancy or Deneen will also see this topic and weigh in, as well as some of the other experts on here.

 

[Tasha]

Thanks for the reply knitfreak.

His body shape when walking around is I I. The gain seems to be all over but he doesn't look fat. He only put on weight when he started to get dodgy poos which worries me. He also seems too old to be still growing.

Don't know what im going to about food. And i've got some Sunshine factor that im reluctant to use. I've washed him with aveeno oil in his bath tonight, but also found lots of quills in his snuggle sack and tube, hoping they are over a number of previous nights but not sure.

Am very worried, but then again he's running around and wheeling like a mad hegie as normal! Im the one who's going to go mad i think!

 

[hedgielover]

The weight gain sounds like normalizing to me too. For him to have gained that much weight and not look overweight he must've been somewhat underweight to begin with or he's still growing. As for the dry skin, I can't add anything that hasn't already been suggested, but good luck with battling it.

 

[AAdict]

what about pure Vit E oil for the dry skin? My friend recommended it to me as one of my hedgies has developed really dry skin lately and she's used it a lot for dry skin, the 'ratty' ears and if a hedgie is paticularly havng a hard time quilling and she swears by it - I'm just starting to treat mine with it and its just nomal plain Vit E oil off ebay and I warm the little bottle between my hands and pipette a bit over his back throughout or you you can rub it directly on via your fingers if its something like their ears

 

[Bengall77]

Our dogs had a similar case of bizarre dry skin. The vet said that it was a reaction to something in their environment as they tested negative for parasites, fungi, etc... He gave us fish oil for their food and their dry skin cleared up after 2-3 weeks. Your vet may be able to recommend a similar food supplement to add to his food.

 

[Shelbys Mom]

I think that some hedgies still grow until their around a year (not all but some).
And also Some hedgies go through a 1 year quilling, which could explain the quill loss.

And I've never been to the UK (would love to someday) but is the air really dry there or dry in your home? That might cause the dry skin (I'm not really sure, just throwing around some ideas).
I know when I lived up north when I was younger the air was dryer up there then what I'm use to and I stayed itchy and dry all the time until I moved back down south..

Again these are just some thoughts I had.
And I do not think your being an over protective mummy.

 

[Tasha]

Thank you so much everyone.

what about pure Vit E oil for the dry skin

I was thinking about trying this, as im convinced flaxseed did nothing, so now its been mentioned again ill go get some.

He gave us fish oil for their food and their dry skin cleared up after 2-3 weeks

Is fish oil ok for hedgies? I thought fish wasn't good? I've just started to try the sunshine factor so ill see how it goes, but if it upsets his tummy ill have a break then maybe try the fish oil.

I think that some hedgies still grow until their around a year (not all but some).
And also Some hedgies go through a 1 year quilling, which could explain the quill loss.

The weight gain sounds like normalizing to me too. For him to have gained that much weight and not look overweight he must've been somewhat underweight to begin with or he's still growing.

I'm so glad to read this, because he has generally got bigger, i just didn't think it was still possible for him to growing. He's hopefully just a late developer! :lol:

Thank you again and ill let you know if anything works! x

 

[hedgielover]

As far as I know fish oil is fine. It just makes poop a bit smellier.